Colleen O'Dea

New Jersey

Senior Writer and Projects Editor at NJ Spotlight News

Senior Writer and Projects Editor at NJ PBS

Journalist and data wrangler for @NJSpotlightNews. Lifelong Jersey girl. Proud mom and fan of Bruuuuuce. Crocheting is my zen. All my tweets are my own.

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Articles

NJ primary 2025: Candidates for governor on gun rights, abortion

1 day ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea

On Tuesday voters get their last chance to decide who will be the major party candidates for governor and state Assembly in a year in which a surprisingly large number of New Jerseyans already have shown interest in the races. As of end of day Wednesday, some 340,000 people already had voted by mail or in person. That’s already about 40% of the maximum many thought would vote in this primary.
NJ primary 2025: Candidates for governors and their fiscal policies

2 weeks ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea

This year’s field of six Democrats and five Republicans gives voters options in the gubernatorial primaries. But it can be hard to find the differences among the candidates on some issues. State budget and tax policy, a major component of affordability, is one area where candidates have presented different plans. NJ Spotlight News pulled together candidate positions, looking especially to highlight the differences, ahead of the June 10 primary election.
Big money, bigger questions for candidates in NJ primary

3 weeks ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea

Affordable New Jersey is an independent political organization, not required by state law to report any financial activity until 11 days before the June 10 primary. So far, Affordable New Jersey has not filed any disclosures, giving the public no full idea of where its money is coming from and where it’s going. But the group has at least $9.6 million to spend to influence the election. And the only way that is known publicly is because U.S. Rep.
NJ primary 2025: Democrats fight to break from their pack

3 weeks ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea

With four weeks until the primary election, five Democrats running for governor challenged one another aggressively in front of the public Monday for the first time in this race. The candidates tried to distinguish themselves from the pack on a host of issues, which was not always easy, as all hold similar positions in many areas. Sponsored by NJ PBS and WNYC radio, the conversation Monday night among Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5th), Rep.
2025 primary guide: Governor

1 month ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea

This year, voters will choose a new governor for New Jersey. The state constitution prohibits Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, from seeking a third consecutive term. Both the Democratic and Republican parties have contested primaries to get on the general election ballot for the four-year term. New Jersey’s voter rolls lean Democratic: More than 38% of all registrants are Democrats, compared with almost 24% who are Republicans. Most of the rest are not affiliated with any party.
Election integrity? NJ already on it

1 month ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea

In 1981, in the midst of a tight gubernatorial election, the Republican National Committee created what it called the “National Ballot Security Task Force” to reduce voter turnout in Black and Hispanic areas of the state. Off-duty police and deputy sheriffs carrying guns, two-way radios and wearing armbands posted signs saying “IT IS A CRIME TO FALSIFY A BALLOT OR TO VIOLATE ELECTION LAWS” and challenged voters in predominantly minority voting districts. Republican Thomas H.
Q&A on the weakness in US campaign finance restrictions

1 month ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea

More than $100 million is expected to be spent on this year’s gubernatorial primary elections in New Jersey. That would reflect the first large-scale spending by independent committees, groups that legally aren’t allowed to coordinate with the candidates. According to Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform with the Campaign Legal Center, there has been only one case of collusion prosecuted in the history of independent spending and that, he said, was an outlier.
What NJ school performance reports reveal

1 month ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea |Hannah Gross

How we reported this storyThe New Jersey Department of Education’s School Performance Report for the 2023-24 school year includes more than 80 tables and graphics on topics including demographics, academic achievement, graduation, college and career readiness, discipline, staff and spending. The department’s reference guide to the performance report stretches to more than 100 pages. Members of the public can access the data on the department’s website.
NJ’s judicial vacancies creep up again

1 month ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea

The number of judicial vacancies is creeping up and if positions aren’t filled soon, some counties could be forced to pause divorce and other civil hearings, judges told an Assembly committee earlier this week. According to the latest data from the judiciary, there are 50 openings, fewer than the record high of 75 in spring of 2022, but still roughly double the number judiciary officials have said they can tolerate without lengthy disruptions in casework.
Rep. Tom Kean holds short phone meeting with constituents

2 months ago | njspotlightnews.org | Colleen O'Dea

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. held a 35-minute telephone meeting with constituents Wednesday night, his first this session, just days after Democrats held two in-person events in his district that drew hundreds wanting to talk about the state of the federal government. In his second term in Congress, Kean has yet to hold an in-person town hall. A press release from his office announcing the phone-in event stated that he held 10 such events during the last congressional session.